On June 17–18, Andrei Turlea and Margit Kuuse, Project Managers at Fondazione ITL, took part in the H2CE project meeting held in Gdańsk, an opportunity to take stock of the ongoing activities and the tools currently under development.

The project, funded by the Interreg Central Europe program, has now entered the final phase of launching the H2 Platform, which will be available in the coming months. The platform will provide:

  • Guidelines for green hydrogen strategies and action plans

  • Best practices for the use of green hydrogen in Central Europe

  • Tools for energy modelling and policy scenario simulation

  • Contacts of regional experts ready to support hydrogen integration

The platform consolidates all the work carried out by project partners from Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany.

During the Gdańsk meeting, partners addressed several key topics:

  • Transnational policies – Measures to support the production, transport, and distribution of green hydrogen. It was highlighted that increasing renewable energy production capacity is the main driver of the entire process.

  • Significant case studies – Finland stands out for its massive investments in the green hydrogen value chain, positioning itself among Europe’s leading producers and exporters over the next five years.

Participants also visited the Exion Hydrogen facilities, which provided first-hand insights into industrial electrolyzer manufacturing processes and the industry’s perspective on the emerging green hydrogen value chain.

Matteo Furlani, from Techfem, shared the experience of the IdrogeMO hydrogen valley and the role of Clust‑ER Greentech in governing the energy transition in Emilia-Romagna, highlighting the value of cooperation and research for the uptake of hydrogen technologies.

H2CE is not just a technical project, but a process of territorial empowerment, aimed at providing concrete tools for inclusive and effective energy planning.

Through the H2 Platform, the project aims to offer regional and local authorities a guided pathway — from strategies to simulations and expert contacts — to accelerate the transition to green hydrogen, which currently accounts for less than 2% of Europe’s energy mix.
The platform will represent a step forward toward a strategic, inclusive, and participatory energy transition.

To this end, collaboration continues with Clust-ER Greentech, Art-ER, the Emilia-Romagna Region, and the entire hydrogen ecosystem.